Lemon Chicken Soup
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
25 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
6 servings
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Calories
317 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Soup, Lunch
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Cuisine
Greek
Lemon Chicken Soup
Description
This soup begins by sautéing diced onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil until they soften, developing a flavorful base. Garlic, salt, pepper, and dried basil are added to enhance the aromatics. Orzo pasta and cooked shredded chicken are combined with chicken broth and brought to a boil, then simmered until the orzo is tender but not mushy. Rice can be used instead but requires longer simmering time.
Separately, egg yolks and lemon juice are whisked together, then tempered with hot soup broth before being stirred back into the pot to thicken and brighten the soup. Fresh baby spinach is added last to wilt gently without overcooking. Optional fresh dill and parsley can be stirred in for herbal notes.
The resulting soup offers a comforting texture with the softness of orzo and chicken balanced by the tangy lemon and the silky egg yolk finish. It is suitable as a light meal or starter and keeps well refrigerated or frozen. When reheating, broth levels may appear reduced as orzo absorbs liquid; adding more broth is recommended if desired.
Extra soup stores up to 4-5 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. Reheat gently to maintain the texture and brightness of flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion diced small, small, white or yellow
- 3 carrot peeled and diced small
- 2 celery diced small, stalks
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon basil dried
- 1 cup orzo pasta or dry uncooked white rice* (See Note in step 4 about simmering time if using rice, dry
- 1 pound chicken about 3 cups loosely packed shredded chicken, cooked and shredded
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 3 egg at room temperature, large yolks
- 1 lemon juiced, large
- 4 ounces spinach a few large handfuls, fresh baby
- 3 tablespoons dill optional and to taste, fresh herbs such as, etc
- 3 tablespoons parsley optional and to taste, fresh herbs such as, etc
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add the olive oil, onions, carrot, celery, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir frequently.
- Add the garlic, salt, pepper, dried basil, and saute for 1 minute. Stir continuously.
- Add the orzo (or rice), shredded chicken, chicken broth (I use reduced sodium chicken broth and add more salt later but you can use regular broth), bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until orzo is cooked al dente. Note - If you're using rice (a grain) rather than orzo (short pasta), you'll need to simmer for about 20 minutes since rice takes much longer to cook through than orzo.
- While the soup is simmering, in a separate medium bowl add the 3 egg yolks (you can either discard the whites, save them for scrambled egg whites, an omelette or make the white cake I linked in the blog post), the lemon juice, and whisk very well to combine.
- Now you will temper the egg yolk mixture by removing one ladle-full of the hot broth from the soup pot, and very slowly, add it to the egg mixture, while whisking constantly and vigorously. Repeat this process with a second ladle-full of broth. Now you have tempered eggs. Tip - The reason for tempering is that if you added the egg yolks directly to the hot pot of bubbling soup, you'd scramble the eggs and end up with egg drop soup with chunky bits of eggs floating which is not the goal here and you'd have to start over. So don't skip the quick step of tempering the eggs!
- Slowly add the tempered egg yolk mixture into the main pot of soup, while whisking the entire time. Continue to whisk until smooth and combined.
- Turn off the heat, add the spinach, and stir to combine until it wilts.
- Taste the soup to check for seasoning balance. Flavor Tips - If the soup tastes at all flat, boring, or like it's missing something, it likely needs more salt, so don't be afraid to add it. Because I use reduce sodium broth, I add a total of about 3 teaspoons of salt. Don't be afraid to add salt so that the soup tastes like it should which is well balanced. If you like a more lemony flavor, add extra lemon juice or a bit of lemon zest.
- Garnish the soup with fresh herbs including fresh dill, parsley, or as desired, and serve.
Notes
- Store leftover soup airtight in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- Reheat gently in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, adding extra broth if needed as orzo absorbs liquid during storage.
- If using rice instead of orzo, simmer longer—about 20 minutes for tender grains.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 317 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 317kcal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 27g | 9% |
| Protein | 27g | 54% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 160mg | 53% |
| Sodium | 1651mg | 69% |
| Potassium | 553mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 7061IU | 141% |
| Vitamin C | 11mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 81mg | 8% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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